According to Mexican news sources, members of the Party of the Democratic Revolution are drafting laws that would allow people to cultivate cannabis at home, smoke it at specific clubs and bars and possess up to 25 grams.
Currently, possession of up to five grams of cannabis is decriminalized in Mexico along with small amounts of other drugs like LSD and cocaine.
If approved, the measure could be in place by September. Officials with the Party of the Democratic Revolution say they have been working with officials at the United Nations on the initiative.
The bill is supposedly intended to allow for medical marijuana patients to cultivate their own medicine, but according to PRD officials, they don’t want the law to only apply to the sick.
“We want to work on the issue of the criminalization of the possession, we want you to have reasonable possessions 20-25 grams for most consumers, because most of the marijuana users are not an addict, not a criminal. They are functional people,” PRD deputy Llerenas Vidal Morales told Sin Embargo.
The PRD plans to hold meetings over the next few months to iron out the details of the proposal.
But the bill will likely face heavy opposition from country leaders trying to overcome the stigma of a country overrun with drug violence. Since 2006, more than 70,000 people have been killed in cartel violence.
In December, president Peña Nieto said he would not approve of cannabis legalization measures because he feels it would lead to rampant drug addiction in the country.
But the movement does have at least one major supporter in former Mexican president Vicente Fox, who told reporters in Seattle last month that legalization and regulation could drastically cut down on drug smuggling violence.
“We all know that in a scenario of harmony and peace is where humans give our best performance and achieve the greatest achievements. We gotta get out of this trap! We must move towards a significant reduction of violence in the world caused by illegal drugs, “Fox said.